On the Mar. 12, it was estimated that around 14,000 fans of SM's mega boyband EXO gathered to witness the group's first ever concert in Malaysia since their debut in 2012. Fans came from all over the world including Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei, Singapore etc, as it was their last stop before their three days encore concert in Seoul.
Stadium Merdeka was lit up with a beautiful silver ocean as early as 7:00 p.m. as fans waited for their beloved group to start the concert. Lights were dimmed at 8:00 p.m. and the first VCR was played. The stadium went thunderous with fans chanting "EXO! EXO!" to welcome the nine members on stage. Crowds went wild as previews of each of the member came on screen. The members then appeared in gold jackets singing to "Overdose" followed by "History" and "El Dorado". The fans sang along throughout the concert, several started to tear up as their favorite group is finally here in front of their eyes. Many would say that it was a blessing that Malaysia was chosen as the final stop and it can be felt throughout the night how grateful the flock of fans is to have the group finally performing for their own concert in Malaysia.
Selamat Datang!
The members then went to the extended stage to formally greet the crowds. Chen, especially kept on shouting "Selamat Datang" to the crowds, showing off the term he must have learned as soon as they got here. The members also took turn to express their gratitude towards the fans for waiting for them in the scorching weather alternating with the rain. The group leader, Suho, kept reminding the fans to drink a lot of water while enjoying the concert.
Change of Pace
The mood changed as EXO shifted to their slower tempo songs displaying their vocal ability. They started with Don't Go. They continued with Playboy making the fans go wild with their sexy choreography. "Baby, Don't Cry" followed as the rest of the members left the stage, leaving only Baekhyun, Suho and D.O. Kyungsoo on stage. Nearing the end of the song, the crowds again went wild as the main dancers of the group, Kai and Sehun appeared one by one. "Kim Jongin" and "Oh Sehun" were chanted upon the appearance of each member. They each went to the opposite end of the stage and danced in a mini pool giving off artistic appeal as they danced to "Baby, Don't Go" in a mix of modern dance and ballet leaving fans enamored with the stage they just witnessed.
They ended their mellow stage with "My Answer" with Baekhyun playing the piano along with Suho and Kyungsoo at his side. Without being asked, the whole stadium sang along throughout the song as members sang on a revolving stage overlooking the crowds and serenading them with "the answer is you, my answer is you".
Our Turn to Cry?
The second VCR played as the members went backstage to change. It was obvious that by the end of the VCR, half of the stadium was crying tears of joy as the VCR showed the members pampering an "invisible" girl.
Chanyeol then appeared at the main stage in a red blazer asking if the crowd is ready. "Are you ready?" which invited a loud "yes!" from EXO-Ls. The members were elevated on a stairs-like stage where the next few songs were performed on the portable stage. As red as their outfits were, the group kept going despite the hot weather dancing their hearts out with sleek moves and hip-thrusts that further caused the stadium to roar in screams.
Christmas in March.
"Since we can't be here with you during Christmas, we'll bring Christmas to you now" says Suho as the group started their Chirstmas -theme stage. Wearing striped shirts of red and green with red elf hats, EXO sang their "cheerful" tracks, truly bringing the Christmas sentiment with the crowds as they jump around the stage. The crowds again went crazy as the semi-permeable white frames were brought onto the stage during Lucky. As expected, the members started changing their outfits on stage behind the blinds causing scream to erupt from all sides of the stadium. EXO then literally brought Christmas in March when they serenaded their fans with Christmas Day, First Snow and Miracles in December.
During the ment, the members again expressed their amusement with how hot the weather is in Malaysia. The members then asked the crowd to chant "I say EX you say O" as the members got ready to heat up the stage with their upbeat songs. Fans were asked to jump along to the remix of songs. Even the fans at the seated areas were standing and jumping along as the group sang their upbeat songs letting go of their cool and mellow image just a few minutes ago. Hip Hop beats filled the stadium as the members rapped to remixes of "Full Moon", "Drop That", "Machine", "Let Out The Beast" and "Run". The atmosphere were exhilarating and exciting that despite the small space in the rock zones, the hot weather, none of it mattered as the group and the fans were both having the best time of their lives in that moment.
The Hit Songs.
The next VCR played as the crowd of fans took a moment to cool down after the heated stages and the endless jumping during the Hip Hop stage. The members reappeared, this time with stripe blazers. The group went on to perform some of their greatest hits starting with Call Me Baby at the extended. The sleek 90s' choreography had the fans dancing along followed by their biggest hit, Growl and Love Me Right. The last VCR was playing and the fans were chanting "We Are One" knowing that the concert was nearing its end. EXO finally appeared for their encore stage where they walked to all crooks of the stage to meet the fans.
Love Was In The Air
"I'll sing for you, sing for you. Just listen and smile", EXO serenaded the fans. During the final ment, Suho mentioned how passionate Malaysian fans are and how grateful the group is for the fans who came for their final leg of international concert. The members also asked the fans to go and visit them in South Korea. The ment ended with a group photo of the group with their beloved fans. Fans also took the opportunity to sing happy birthday song to Xiumin for his upcoming birthday. Love was literally in the air as the group expressed their gratitude for the fans and the fans ultimately feeling grateful to finally see their favorite group performing the own concert in Malaysia. They ended the night with "Unfair" taking their time to play with the gifts that were passed to them by the fans as they waved goodbye to all parts of the stadium.
From sleek dance moves, to mellow ballads that played with the heartstrings of the fans to badass-hip hop stage, the group proved that they are a huge Hallyu force for a reason. The concert ended leaving the fans feeling euphoria and most of them left with tears of happiness in their eyes despite the testing weather and long hours of standing. To boot, no words can describe the happiness felt by the fans as they were chosen as the last stop for Exo Planet #2 - The Exo'luxion.
Exo Planet #2 - The Exo'luxion in Malaysia was organized by Star, presented by Spritzer Mineral Water together with Robsonhill Residency.
Special thanks to Star Planet for giving KpopStarz this media coverage opportunity.
Written by Najihah Md Latib | Photos by Star Planet
